US Secretary of State Marko Rubio today avoided calling “warrior“Russian President Vladimir Putin, stating that his priority is to negotiate the end of the war in Ukraine.

In a tense hearing in Congress, Democratic MP Bill Kitting recalled the severe attack that Rubio had launched to Putin when he was still a senator and asked him if he still believed the Russian president was a “criminal”.

‘Crimes were committed during the war against Ukraine and one has to be held accountable, but our current goal is to put an end to this war“, Rubio replied. “Because, let me tell you that every day this war continues, people are killed, others are amputated and, sincerely, other war crimes are committed,” he added.

The Democratic MP said that Rubio speaks “inconsistently” and “ambiguous”.

‘If there was no communication between the US and Russia in 1961, the world would have stopped in that Cuban rocket crisis“, Rubio also said, responding to another MP.

US President Donald Trump talked to Putin and Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelenski on Monday as part of Washington’s effort – without a positive result so far – to end the war.

When asked who is attacker in this war, Rubio replied ‘Russia invaded Ukraine” Trump has so far avoided calling Russia as “attacked”.